Costa Rica is a unique country set in the
heart of Central America. On one side, it faces the Caribbean Sea and
its vibrant afro-Caribbean culture, which includes traditional forms of
Latin music (and plenty of Reggae ;-), delicious food
and incredible
nightlife.

On the other, Costa Rica faces the Pacific and boasts
long expanses of white sand, world-class surfing
and a beach culture that features both international nightlife and
tiny, tucked away beaches
and towns. Between these two coasts lie miles of dense rainforest,
thousands of different species of animals, a series of towering
volcanoes and adventure
activities waiting around every bend.

This Costa Rica travel guide is just the place to start
planning your trip. There's plenty of useful info and tips, including my
first hand knowledge as a former resident. I’ve thoroughly
researched the places and topics on this site and I've even enlisted
the help of my friends who live there to help come up with other relevant
Costa Rica tourism information.

My tips and info on Costa Rica travel will help you make
the best of your vacation in this jewel of Central America. But first a
little background on me.

I’m an avid traveler – I’ve been to Europe, the Caribbean, throughout
Southeast Asia (lived in Bangkok for a few months), lived in Mexico for
seven months and have been to every country in Central America. Even
took a boat to Colombia.

I’d wanted to travel Costa Rica's beatiful countryside for years, and then it
finally happened. I had quit my job in the States and already been to
Mexico and back, so I decided to improve my Spanish while diving and
studying to be a divemaster. I just so happened to come upon an offer
for a divemaster internship on the northwest coast of Costa Rica in a
little pueblo called Playas del Coco.

I needed little motivation to travel again. I LOVE to travel!

Anyway, I arrived with a plan to spend three months.
I came back almost exactly one year later.

So, be careful, the Costa Rican lifestyle can be a bit addictive. You
might end up like I did…living there for a year and enjoying every
second of it!

I’m putting my time spent there to good use by compiling
a Costa Rica travel guide to help prepare potential travelers like you.
I’m sure when you're through reading you’ll be chomping at the bit to
hop a plane travel down here. Lets see why...

Why should you travel to Costa Rica?

Because Costa Rica has SO much to offer:

Cheerful and friendly people – they call themselves
Ticos (Ticas for the ladies)

And it’s closer to some US states than Hawaii and
MUCH cheaper to travel here!

That was by no means an exhaustive list. You’ll have to poke around the
website a bit to get a better understanding of this and all the great
Costa Rica travel info I have to offer.

There are lots of wonderful little towns to get lost in for a couple of
weeks of tranquility. But as a country that is the size of Vermont and
New Hampshire together, it’s also easy to spend those weeks exploring
and traveling all over Costa Rica with a rental
car. You have even more options if you rent a 4x4
– which is required in some of the more remote regions, and just more
comfortable on unpaved roads. Ticos will amaze you with their ability
to use 2-wheel drive on rough terrain, but I did all my driving around
in a 4x4. Makes those swimming pool size potholes along the coast a
little more manageable – especially in the rainy season.

Don’t get scared though, road tripping around this country is a blast.

Costa Rica really does have it all. From luxury to
adrenaline spiking adventure activities – imagine
my heart rate when I was scuba diving and saw a ten-foot bull shark –
this country will make a lasting impression on you. And perhaps you’ll
begin a life long love affair as I certainly have. You wouldn’t be the
first as there were over 80k expats counting Costa Rica as home in
2004.

Look around this Costa Rica travel guide and find out what you’ve been missing!